October 2003 Physics Tour at Ocean Park Shirley Wong*
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Newsletter of the Asian Regional Network of the Association of International Zoo Educators -- ARNIZE New Members Wild Animal Welfare and Ethics in Zoo Education Ms. Tran Thanh Huong Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) Zoological gardens and parks often come under attack by animal welfare A14/25 Lang Ha, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, and animal rights organizations. Over the long history of zoos in the Vietnam world, there has been good reason for such criticism but in the last two P.O. Box 222, Hanoi GPO, Vietnam decades there has been a growing awareness of the need for reform in Mr. Sunarto zoos by zoos themselves. Zoos all over the world have begun focusing Program Head more on the need for better care of animals – not only physical, nutritional Gelanggang Samudra Jaya Ancol and general health care but better care of the animals’ emotional well Jl. Lodan Timur No.7 being. Jakarta, Indonesia This concern with animal welfare should carry over into zoo education. Mr. Alexander Ignatious Sajee General Secretary Zoos should use their unique situation of holding living animals which We Care Society charm and amaze millions of visitors to create empathy as well as interest H Pocket, 24-A, Maroda Sector in wildlife. Zoos should do this by setting a good example for treatment of Bhilai 490 006, Chaatisgarh animals in their institution and for abiding by both the letter and spirit of Mr. Raajkaran Aravind wildlife legislation. This includes making sure that visitors themselves do Member not mistreat animals, particularly when they come to the zoo. Wildlife ZOO WATCH welfare education in zoos also includes teaching visitors to change their Harshini, Voltas Lane behaviour towards wild (and even other) animals in their community … to Vazhuthacaud Trivandrum 695 014, Kerala avoid indulging in purchase of animals or their products, to avoid patronizing institutions and projects which survive by a wrongful use of wild Mr. G. Kamaraj animals and to treat all animals kindly. Biologist Guindy National (Childrens) Park Behavioural and environmental enrichment have evolved as scientific Childrens Park disciplines just in the last 15 years and now are concerns in all but the Rajbhavan Chennai 600 022, T.N. most primitive and backward zoos. Mr. G. Sivagurunathan The growth and evolution of animal welfare in zoos has gone hand in hand Ph.D. Scholar with the evolution of zoos as genuine conservation organizations. Animals 78, Thumbavanam Street which are fit for conservation have to be treated well – physically and Kancheepuram 631 501 psychologically. The importance a zoo gives to conservation can be Tamil Nadu measured to a great extent by the importance it gives to animal welfare Dr. T. Kalaichelvan and ethics. Zoo Supervisor Maitri Baag Zoo Zoos can use so many of these developments to answer critics and also to Qr. No. 4C, Street – 8 educate visitors about how very careful and conscious zoos are today, yet Sector 8, Bhilai 490 008, Chhattisgarh most of them do not. Perhaps zoo personnel are so close to their subject Ms. Madhuri Ramesh that they get “occupational blindness”. They do not even see the Student opportunities they have to defend themselves against their critics. Madras Crocodile Bank Trust Post Bag 4, Mamallapuram 603 104 The zoo educator can be an immense support to their zoo by developing some of these ideas. Zoo Education is not just zoology or biological diversity or conservtion. The zoo educator can help their zoo overcome the threats to its own existence as well as educating the public about the threats to wild animals ! Asia Newsletter of Asian Regional Network of I.Z.E. Volume 6, Issue 2, October 2003 Physics tour at Ocean Park Shirley Wong* To many people, other than visiting our lovely animals, the reason for going to Ocean Park is – the roller coaster. But how many of us realize “How does the roller coaster work?”. Ocean Park’s Education Department proudly presents our newly developed physics tour for senior secondary students (Age 15–17) – “Learning Physics in Motion”. This physics programme was jointly organized by Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB), Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and Ocean Park (OP). A website “Contextual Physics in Ocean Park” was launched in mid 2002. Examples of teaching materials, video, and simulation software for OP mechanical rides are on the web, inviting teachers to use the materials pre- and post- tour. (web-link: http:// www.phy.cuhk.edu.hk/oceanpark/) Students will experience our rides, The Dragon (roller coaster) and Abyss Turbo Drop (vertical ascent) to learn the mystery of these thrilling rides. By watching the dolphin show at our physics on our Cable Car and Ocean Ocean Theatre and videotapes of our Tower, providing a valuable educational Bottle-nose Dolphins and California experience for students. It will be a lot Sea Lions leaping to reach the of fun and provide incentive for * Assistant Education Manager, Education Department suspended ball, students will discover students to develop an interest in Ocean Park Corporation, Hong Kong the secret of gravity. There is more physics. Wildlife Week at Kamala Nehru Zoo, Ahmedabad R. K. Sahu* The Kamala Nehru Zoo celebrated Wildlife Week and allowed children free entry for a week. A total of 2852 children enjoyed their zoo visit during this period. Wildlife Week materials on bat, primate, bear, etc. provided by Z.O.O. were distributed to some of these children. We organized a drawing competition on 2nd October and gave 15 prizes to different catego- ries of children. We also provided a Magic Show for children which was also a great attraction to them. We have given conservation messages through the magician. We are thankful to ZOO for sending a lot of literature, materials, T. shirts etc. * Zoo Superintendent, Kamla Nehru Zoological Garden, Kankaria Children hard at work on their drawing of wildlife in the drawing competition Ahmedabad 380 008, Gujarat organised by Kamla Nehru Zoo, Ahmedabad. Photo courtesy of the Zoo. 2 Asia Newsletter of Asian Regional Network of I.Z.E. Volume 6, Issue 2, October 2003 First Teachers Training Workshop at Central Zoo Nepal : Wildlife Conservation and Wildlife Welfare Geetha Shreshta* For the first time, the Central Zoo conducted a Teacher’s Organisation and explained how to use the materials in the Training Workshop for participants were from different packets. Both of these packets were funded by the schools with more than half from Kathmandu and others Universities Federation for Animal Welfare or “UFAW”, an from rural areas. Ms. Sally Walker, Founder of Zoo Outreach organisation in the United Kingdom. Organisation and Asian Regional Representative of I.Z.E. was invited to lead the workshop as primary resource person. She started the workshop with introductions, asking participants to write down the name of an animal on a piece of paper. The animal should be one they would like to be or which they thought they looked like, or acted like, admired, or otherwise identified with. She introduced herself and called on the next participant, who had to given his name and institution and then guess what animal she was … and pass it on. This created much amusement as some participants really did look like the animals they selected and were easy to guess. She used the most commonly selected animals to form working groups later, e.g. “tiger group, monkey group, deer group, etc. Sally Walker gave an introductory presentation on both conservation and welfare and how to use the zoo to teach these concepts. She used a diagram to explain how zoos had evolved to try and do more than just entertain visitors, and even more than just educate them. Instead of simply Planned exercises were done to demonstrate to teachers teaching biological facts, zoos should appeal to visitors’ how to lead students effectively through rakhi-tying, placard emotions and attempt to change attitudes toward the natural parade, a “teasing animals” drama, Zoo Patrol world. She appealed to the teachers, who were all from demonstration and a play on “What to do and what not to do different schools, to try and arrange to give other teachers in in the zoo”. the school a short review of the material covered in this workshop and convey this concept of using education to help After lunch, we had participants divide into the groups people change their attitudes and behaviour. mentioned earlier and go around the zoo to collect ideas for a project and also to practice asking people to stop teasing She also used the Concept Map we learned in the T4T and feeding animals using their badge, so they could tell training but in a different way. She introduced the term “animal welfare” as the theme, which was harder than tiger or food, etc. and gave participants 10 minutes. Sally then gave a 30-minute presentation on Wildlife Welfare which covered the importance of teaching students to be kind to animals as values for later life. The importance of teaching values rather than just information, how to use the zoo to teach wildlife welfare, teaching wildlife welfare in daily life. She also covered dissection or wild animals in class and lab, relating to teachers that there were computer programmes with which they could teach about anatomy. Many teachers were interested in this. She also explained by we should not keep wild animals at home as pets and wild animals in trade from an animal welfare perspective. She explained how bad behaviour in the zoo with children teasing and feeding animals were very destructive to the animals. Teachers made many comments and asked questions. We gave out packets of small items dealing with Wildlife Welfare and Zoo Behaviour contributed by Zoo Outreach *Conservation Educator, 138, Banijya Marga, Bijuli Bazar, New Baneshwor, P.Box 20543, Kathmandu, Nepal 3 Asia Newsletter of Asian Regional Network of I.Z.E.